Blind test on golf balls ?

[garyinderry]

Premium balls check up, mid range not so much. its blinding obvious to me that happens.


I couldn't tell the difference between any of the premium balls. I don't generate enough speed to suck a ball back on the green. My quality of strike is not good enough on pitch shots to tell if one ball checks a hell of a lot more than the other.

I just like to see the ball sit down quickly on approach shots and check slightly on pitches if that's how I want it to react and the conditions allow it.

I would play any of the premium balls, even the Dunlop over any of the mid range balls.

There was a time when I didn't know what a soft ball was. I just played with a clean one.

 

[User101]

I would be very interested to see a blind tes, with the Pro V1, Vice Pro, Dunlop etc to see if there is a real difference

With an iron to the green I reckon I could tell the difference between a prov1 and a dunflop, as for a prov1 and a TP5 or CS nope, doubt I could.

 

[gmhubble]

I could tell the difference between cheap and expensive but there is no way I could tell the expensive brands apart

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I could tell the difference between cheap and expensive but there is no way I could tell the expensive brands apart

I'd like to think I could tell between say a Pinnacle and Pro V (would hope so) but I reckon in a contest between the real budget end and mid-range balls I think I'd struggle. I still think it's a valid test and maybe could be split between premium and the rest. I still maintain (and of course my own view, as a person who has played premium balls) that a blind test of the top end balls would be harder to pick out a make and model than it seems

 

[jusme]

what's the point as its been said son many times in so many ways, but I know I could not tell the difference in premium balls. Like most others of course I could if comparing apples to oranges, but premium to premium or 2 piece to piece - nope - play whatever you get on offer and fits within your type of ball

 

[HomerJSimpson]

what's the point as its been said son many times in so many ways, but I know I could not tell the difference in premium balls. Like most others of course I could if comparing apples to oranges, but premium to premium or 2 piece to piece - nope - play whatever you get on offer and fits within your type of ball

What about some of the softer feeling mid-range balls against a premium? I get the like for like (premium v premium) being hard to test but I wonder how far across the board it goes? I agree totally about playing what you like and what suits your game but I don't believe the majority would be able to tell a make/model from another blind. I guess if you used a launch monitor, certain traits like spin may give a clue but even then I wonder who would pick a Pro V from a Z Star. I thought a magazine (might have been Todays Golfer) did this a good few years ago, long before the mid-range market in particular became so competitive but I can't recall the outcome

 

[srixon 1]

On Friday I used a new 2013 version of the pro v1. Today I used a new 2017 version of the pro v1. The 2017 version felt much softer throughout the bag.

 

[Slab]

I'd like to think I could tell between say a Pinnacle and Pro V (would hope so) but I reckon in a contest between the real budget end and mid-range balls I think I'd struggle. I still think it's a valid test and maybe could be split between premium and the rest. I still maintain (and of course my own view, as a person who has played premium balls) that a blind test of the top end balls would be harder to pick out a make and model than it seems

Interesting, ok you're the one with the YouTube channel

Take a pinnacle soft and a pro v and a black marker etc and give it a go

Pinnacle 'soft' though not the old rocks (still a quarter of the price)

 

[jim8flog]

On Friday I used a new 2013 version of the pro v1. Today I used a new 2017 version of the pro v1. The 2017 version felt much softer throughout the bag.

If you look on the back of the ProV1 2017 box you will see that they have switched around the characteristics of the ProV1 against the ProV1x. Really odd thing to do. The 2017 version of the Prov1 is a soft feeling ball and the Prov1x is not. It has always been one of my gripes against ProV1s is that the keep changing the feel particularly off the putter model to model.

Playing in a greensome yesterday we agreed to play one of the older models of ProV1 and I made a mistake in choosing which version, I chose a version which was definitely more harsh /clicky feeling compared to the Bridgestone 330RX I usually play.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Interesting, ok you're the one with the YouTube channel

Take a pinnacle soft and a pro v and a black marker etc and give it a go

Pinnacle 'soft' though not the old rocks (still a quarter of the price)

Interesting concept but sadly without guaranteed access to a launch monitor to show differences in spin, distance etc it'll be very stale and based solely on my opinion. At least with some viable data, I could suggest the ball was "brand A" and give an opinion and then see how it performed and show each ball versus the next

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Interesting concept but sadly without guaranteed access to a launch monitor to show differences in spin, distance etc it'll be very stale and based solely on my opinion. At least with some viable data, I could suggest the ball was "brand A" and give an opinion and then see how it performed and show each ball versus the next

All the reviews on your channel are just your opinion anyway are they not?

 

[Slab]

Interesting concept but sadly without guaranteed access to a launch monitor to show differences in spin, distance etc it'll be very stale and based solely on my opinion. At least with some viable data, I could suggest the ball was "brand A" and give an opinion and then see how it performed and show each ball versus the next

I was thinking that since robots and launch monitors don't take/record the shots for us on the course then it could simply be what the human thinks about each ball (especially given how many people say the difference is in the 'feel' anyway)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

All the reviews on your channel are just your opinion anyway are they not?

Of course they are and as I say in each, without access to the data, that's all they can be. However an extended test and just my opinion or "guess" on what each ball fees like and is would be even more dull than my usual fare. I think the test has legs but in a more structured way

 

[MadAdey]

In all honesty if you take the equivalent ball from each of the top manufacturers we wouldn't really be able to tell much of a difference at all. I normally just buy what ever is on the best deal out of Tileist, Callaway or Bridgestone. If I was to cast any type of opinion I feel I get a bit more distance on the longer shots with a ProV1, but I much prefer the way Chrome soft feels with the putter.

But if I was being blind tested, I'm not sure I could say which is which, unless I could make my decision with my putter.